What We Need
by madgirl22
Summary: When Pride finds a mysterious girl unconscious near the ruins of Eagle Mountain, he takes her back to his tribe for help, but all is not well among the Gaians, who lack leadership and ambition. Is she what they need to survive?
1. Chapter 1

Pride watched from the deck of the cabin, as she lay, unconscious by the fire. It had been just over a week since he had found her, battered and bruised, in a collapsed heap on the ground, in front of the burnt out ruins of the old observatory. Pride wasn't sure what had happened there, but he knew it was recent; he could still smell the smoke.

She writhed in pain as Raven, the medic, treated her wounds. Pride couldn't bear to see her in such agony. Her burns seemed to silently torture her as she slept, and no matter what anyone did to try and ease the pain, the blonde beauty's condition only seemed to worsen.

" What are we going to do if she doesn't wake up?" Grey Owl's voice jolted Pride out of his thoughts as he stood beside him on the balcony. The husky blonde crumbled pieces of bark between his dirt-ridden fingers. "She could die you know."

Pride nodded silently, staring at the girl, who seemed to have calmed since being treated with Raven's herbal remedies. " You still haven't told us why you brought her back here." Grey Owl persisted. He was used to Pride's quiet manner and didn't seem to mind that the man wasn't responding to him. " You were leaving. Then you came back. Why?"

Pride turned his head to face Grey Owl, his lengthy black dreadlocks wavering slightly in the wind.

" She needed help." he replied abruptly, " Raven can provide proper care for her, care that I couldn't provide on my own." The blonde nodded his approval. Pride turned away slowly, his eyes resting on the girl once more. " I'm leaving again, once I know she's okay."

" I wouldn't be surprised if others leave first." Grey Owl noted, " The tribe is falling to ruins. No one wants to take the lead; no one wants to listen to anyone who tries. We're just a group of people living together in the woods."

" You could lead them." Pride suggested, his eyes still latched onto the girl, " You're head of the council."

" What council?" Grey Owl laughed, " We're just a group of kids who sit around arguing about who should be on guard next and which places are best to hunt."

" Well, what else is there to discuss?" Pride challenged, his thoughts still elsewhere

" A future." Grey Owl suggested, almost as if it was an obvious answer, " Plans of building a place safer to live in than a cluster of trees and a few old tents."

" That's a nice idea, but it's unrealistic." Pride replied monotonously

" That's the problem." Grey Owl sighed, " Everyone wants to be in charge, but they all know that none of them really have what it takes to lead us, including me."

" We've survived this far on our own." Pride argued, growing tired of his friend's negativity

" By sheer luck and mass in numbers." Grey Owl responded, shaking his head, " We've got too much ambition and no instruction about what to do with it. We know how to survive out here, and we don't want to live in the violence and destruction of the city, but there's too many of us, looking for some sense of direction. Except we can't agree on a leader because no one has the full support of the tribe to take on that kind of responsibility."

Pride's eyes rested on the younger girl, sleeping peacefully by the glowing warmth of the fire. He knew what his tribe needed, but he also knew that no one had the conviction to stand up and take charge of what could rise to be an incredibly powerful tribe. They needed someone with vision, strength, and determination to take the reins. They needed a leader.


	2. Chapter 2

She woke for the first time early the next morning. It had been Pride's turn to watch her. Her stirring awakened him, lost in his own thoughts, and the girl with no name sat up quickly, cautiously taking in her surroundings. Her eyes gazed up at them, filled with a mixture of what Pride recognised as both fear and defiance; trepidation overwhelmed by the instinctive decision not to let the enemy see your terror. She lacked the ability to place trust in unfamiliar faces. Pride assumed she was from the city.

" Who are you?" she asked, her voice powered by conviction, " Where am I?"

" One step at a time." Pride replied soothingly, so as not to alarm her, " You're safe. That's all that matters for now."

The girl eyed him cautiously, her eyes drooping; clearly both physically and emotionally drained from what Pride guessed must've been a traumatic experience. " I'm Pride." he said, " And you are?" The girl eyed him suspiciously, unsure of whether to give out any information to a stranger.

" Amber," she gulped, her voice wavering slightly. Pride threw down the stick he had been using to poke the fire and moved to sit next to her on the log.

Almost instinctively she moved, wrapping the worn blue blanket around her fractured body as a form of protection. Pride smiled warmly at her, so much so that Amber couldn't help but relax a little.

" You're badly bruised, but no lasting injuries. Luckily I found you on that mountain, otherwise, you might not have been so lucky." Pride informed, offering her a jug of water to drink, which she quickly took, draining the contents almost immediately. Pride watched her intently, attempting to figure out exactly what was running through her mind.

Amber avoided eye contact as she felt his eyes bore through her. He didn't ask any questions. He didn't want to know why exactly she had been lying unconscious in the middle of nowhere. And even now, he didn't question her distrust, which she knew he was aware of; she could see it in his eyes. He was being cautious, and ever so gentle. Amber was dying to know more about him, but, like her, he gave nothing away. She knew only his name, which, in itself, was a mystery. Pride- she doubted that was his real name, yet she couldn't bring herself to talk to him. There was something stopping her. Perhaps it was that she didn't want to have to answer any difficult questions regarding her own life.

She remembered everything, clear as day. Ebony, rescuing her from the burning ruins of the observatory. Ebony, pulling out the photo of her and Bray, and their… Amber couldn't bring herself to thing about it. The ache aroused by it was more painful a wound than any of her burns and bruises. 'Leave,' Ebony had told her. She had blacked out before she got the chance to make up her mind. But now, glancing up at this camp, tucked away in the woods, living off the land.

This was everything she'd dreamed of but feared pursuing, and now, as if in some weird twist of fate, she was here. Taken care of by a group of strangers who were under no obligation to help her, yet they did anyway. And now, she glanced up at Pride, who was watching the fluorescent orange light of the fire illuminate the night sky, she knew. She had to stay. Returning to the mall, even if the mallrats were there would be too painful now. She didn't want to see him again; to experience the torturous ache of betrayal that cut her heart like a knife every time she even thought of him. This was her chance. Pride. The rest of his tribe. She had to start again. She would stay, if they would take her, she would stay and become a… Amber looked up. Who were these people?

" What tribe is this?" she asked inquisitively, trying not to let any emotion find it's way into her voice

" I'm not sure you can call us a tribe anymore. We're falling apart." Pride replied. Amber, however, seemed dissatisfied by this response. " Gaians." He sighed, " We call ourselves the Gaians."

That was it. Amber would stay. She would convince the tribe that she was worth keeping and then she would start a fresh. She would become a Gaian.


	3. Chapter 3

Pride led Amber through the woods; both of them carrying several different sized wooden spears and enough fish to feed the whole Gaian tribe. Both were silent, as if afraid to talk to each other, yet Amber couldn't help but feel more secure in Pride's company than she had in anyone's presence since the after the virus.

Pride glanced over at his new hunting companion. She wasn't bad- for a beginner. It had been little over two weeks since Amber had woken up from her comatose state, and since then she seemed to be settling in better than he would've expected for a city dweller. Her clothes, once black leather; well suited for city scavenging, had been switched, with the help of Raven and the other girls, for a blue lycra top and feathered skirt. It suited her, Pride thought.

Amber smiled as she felt his gaze upon her. She still didn't know much about him. He was an avid hunter; he never failed to catch the largest fish and his archery skills would give Robin Hood a run for his money. Other than that, Amber knew nothing about the man she seemed to be finding herself spending more and more time with as the days went by.

" What are you thinking about?" Pride inquired, his eyes still focused forwards. Amber grinned; Pride had become some sort of confidante for her. Although they were yet to approach the subject of why Pride had found her alone on Eagle Mountain, Amber did seem to be placing her trust in him more often, with everything from hunting to just talking about anything that came to mind as they lay awake at night.

" Not much." Amber shrugged, crunching the twigs beneath her feet as she walked.

" I find that hard to believe." he replied, eyeing her knowingly. Amber laughed slightly. Though Pride knew she was keeping something from him, he didn't persist, well aware of her still fragile state, as well as their developing friendship. " We should think about choosing your tribal guide soon." Pride started, " That is, if you want to stay…"

Amber was slightly taken aback, yet incredibly relieved that Pride seemed to want her to stay. She smiled at him.

" Don't the tribe have to vote on it?" she asked cautiously

" We already have." Pride grinned, " The decision was unanimous."

Amber couldn't help but feel warmed by the sentiment that everyone in the tribe wanted her to stay. In a way, she felt loved; they wanted her to stay, not because they felt that they would fall apart without her. They had everything they needed already; they didn't need her. Yet they were still asking her to hang about.

" So did you have anything in mind?" Pride asked, seemingly interested in what she had to say

" What?" Amber replied, lost in her own world.

" Your tribal name? The one that will become your spiritual guide." he informed.

" How do I decide that?" she asked, unsure of how one came to choose such an important thing.

" Well, I chose a value that is significant to me. Pride is both my strength and my weakness, which I'm reminded of that every time someone says my name, so I cannot stray from my path to complete mental tranquility."

" How can you be so sure of things like that?" Amber asked, astounded by Pride's self-assurance, " I don't see how people can choose a name for themselves; its such a difficult choice to make."

" Most of us struggle with the decision initially, but once we find the right name, it's an obvious choice." Pride replied, smiling slightly.

The two arrived at the Gaian camp within five minutes, leaving the fish with a burly man named Hawk and a younger, pale brunette girl, Tigress, who were on cooking duty. Though Amber always felt safe at the campsite, she couldn't help but feel unsettled. The area around the campfire, usually packed with hungry tribe members, was almost empty. Amber knew that the others should've gathered by now; it was nearing twilight and even she knew it was dangerous to be out in the woods after dark. Amber turned to Pride for reassurance, yet even he, usually so calm and collected, seemed disconcerted.

" Pride." she started, but she didn't need say more.

" Where are the others?" Pride asked Hawk, "Grey Owl? Raven?"

" Down by the river." Hawk replied simply, his face seeming grim, " The council is meeting."

" Why?" Amber asked, concerned. Pride had told her that the council only ever met over matters concerning the well being of the tribe, which, as far as she knew, faced no immediate danger.

" To discuss the future of the tribe." Hawk sighed, his expression gloomy

" What future?" mumbled Tigress. Amber noted that she too looked defeated.

Pride rolled his eyes. He didn't know why he was surprised. The tribe was in ruins, and in truth it had never functioned properly, not the way it should have. The lack of leadership had been slowly tearing the group of them apart. But Pride couldn't help but feel saddened that the council were meeting to discuss such an issue. He knew that the end result would mean the downfall of the Gaians, which, though willing to leave behind a few weeks ago, he now saw a new hope for the tribe's future- Amber. She seemed to have a vision that none of them did, yet she was apprehensive about sharing it with anyone beyond Pride himself.

Quickly, he grabbed Amber's hand, startling her slightly, though she didn't hesitate to grab onto it.

" Come on." he said, leading her back the way the came

" Where are we going?" she asked. Pride didn't respond, instead quickening in his stride, causing Amber to do the same. In truth, Amber knew the answer; Pride was going to attempt to convince the council of something worth staying for. She just didn't know what he needed her for…


End file.
